Improvement in fire-escapes



D. B. EWING. FIRE-ESCAPE,

No. 191,125, Patented May-22,1877.-

fizi'ness es,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE...

DAVID B. EWING, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

IMPROVEMENT IN FlRE-ESCAPES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. l9l,l 25, dated May 22,1871; application filed May 4, .1877.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, DAVID B. EWING, of Indianapolis, county of Marionand State of Indiana, have invented certain Improvements inFire-Escapes, of which the following is a specification This inventionrelates to that class of fireescapes in which a rope is employed, bywhich persons may, with comparative safety, lower themselves from theupper stories of a burning building; and it consists in a brake-block ofcertain form and construction, to which a rope or strap is attached, inwhich persons may sit .or otherwise attach themselves, and through whicha rope passes in such a manner that the brake-block will, with ease andcertainty, slide down the rope, and at the same time be convenientlyregulated in its descent.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a side view, and Fig. 2 avertical section, through the lire-escape embodying my invention.

A A is the brake-block, through which the rope B passes, as shown. 0 isa rope or strap attached to the lower end of the brake, in which theperson descending may sit or be otherwise attached.

The arm A of the brake affords the facility for passing the rope infront of the person into convenient position to be handled. It will beunderstood that the upper end of the rope may be furnished with a hookor other appliance, by which it may be made fast to any convenientobject. The person descending will get into the strap 0 and take hold ofthe lower end B of the rope. The Weight will cause the brake to slidedown the rope while the latter is held loosely in the hand; but if avery little portion of the Weight is thrown upon the portion of the ropeB by the hands its tension upon the brake will retard or altogether stopthe descent, as may be desired.

The brake-block maybe made of wood or metal, and may be so small as tooccupy very little space in a traveling-bag, even though accompaniedwith fifty to a hundred feet of sufficiently strong cord.

The great simplicity, cheapness, portability, reliability, and safety ofoperation of this device is too apparent to require further description.

I claim as my invention The fire-escape composed of the brake A, strapor rope U, and rope B, constructed, arranged, and operated substantiallyas set forth.

DAVID B. EWING.

Witnesses O. F. MAYHEW, A. J YoRK.

